Presentation:

If you think the artwork of O-Parts Hunter looks vaguely familiar, then you should know that the creator, Seishi Kishimoto, is the twin brother of Naruto’s creator, Masashi Kishimoto. It’s very apparent that the two brothers’ art styles are pretty much interchangeable. Although, judging by the cover, Seishi tries to be more diverse in creature and weapon designs than his brother. Most of the comic panels in O-Parts Hunter are very simple, and usually only focus on the characters of that panel and very little, if ever at all, on any sort of background. In fact, some of he best panels are the ones that have more background development. If O-Parts Hunter contained one ounce less dialogue, this method of story conveyance wouldn’t be as effective as it is. Visually, this comic is uninspiring. However, what it lacks in visuals, it makes up for in an interesting story and characters. Also, at the end of the book, Kishimoto has included three mini omake comics featuring himself and a small catalogue page of the different O-Parts that made an appearance in this volume.

Overall:

O-Parts Hunter is definitely more complex than its generic shonen formula lets on. It draws heavily on references from both Kabbalistic and Judeo-Christian beliefs and monsters. Not only this, but the story moves along so swiftly and fluidly that if you miss even one chapter, you could find yourself sorely behind on the plot later. This doesn’t necessarily hurt the overall story, but it does make difficult reading if you’re not up to speed on all the references or characters. However, it has great character development and has just the right mix of story and action so that you’re not left just wishing all the fighting would end. It’s a good manga to pick up for a quick read and get your shonen manga fix, and I daresay it gives its rival, Naruto, a run for its money.